'Asbat al-Ansar

Description

‘Asbat al-Ansar—the League of the Followers—is a Lebanon-based, Sunni extremist group, composed primarily of Palestinians and associated with Usama Bin Ladin. The group
follows an extremist interpretation of Islam that justifies violence against civilian targets to achieve political ends. Some of those goals include overthrowing the Lebanese
Government and thwarting perceived anti-Islamic and pro-Western influences in the country.

Activities

‘Asbat al-Ansar has carried out multiple terrorist attacks in Lebanon since it
first emerged in the early 1990s. The group assassinated Lebanese religious
leaders and bombed nightclubs, theaters, and liquor stores in the mid-1990s.
The group raised its operational profile in 2000 with two attacks against
Lebanese and international targets. It was involved in clashes in northern
Lebanon in December 1999 and carried out a rocket-propelled grenade attack
on the Russian Embassy in Beirut in January 2000. ‘Asbat al-Ansar’s leader,
Abu Muhjin, remains at large despite being sentenced to death in absentia for
the murder in 1994 of a Muslim cleric.

In 2003, suspected ‘Asbat al-Ansar elements were responsible for the attempt
in April to use a car bomb against a McDonald’s in a Beirut suburb. By
October, Lebanese security forces arrested Ibn al-Shahid, who is believed to
be associated with ‘Asbat al- Ansar, and charged him with masterminding the
bombing of three fast food restaurants in 2002 and the attempted attack in
April 2003 on the McDonald’s. ‘Asbat forces were involved in other violence in
Lebanon in 2003, including clashes with members of Yassir Arafat’s Fatah
movement in the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah refugee camp and a rocket attack in June on
the Future TV building in Beirut.

Strength

The group commands about 300 fighters in Lebanon.

Location/Area of Operation

The group’s primary base of operations is the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon.